Let’s give ourselves a great big thank you for all of the delicious food we shared at the Holiday Pot Luck Dinner. We especially thank Lynn Rothe, Angie Chaos-Peters, and Becky Hughes for the lovely table decorations. The card exchange was great fun, and the contributions to the Women’s Shelter were quite generous. Thanks once again to Lynn Rothe for making our delivery to the Shelter. All in all, the evening was a huge success. 

Nancy Meier recently visited the east coast and found herself at the Oh My Word gallery in Endicott City, MD. The store is filled with calligraphic art by over forty artists. You can visit yourself at www.ohmywordcalligraphy.com.

Lynn Rothe has informed us that Bosworth Papers is now carrying parent sheets of Arches text wove paper and full sheets of Arches 90# hot press watercolor paper. SACG members receive a 10% discount from Bosworth, and Bosworth is one of our loyal advertisers.

We have a very busy Spring ahead of us, so we need to be planning well in advance for all the fun. Our 30th Anniversary Exhibit will be at Los Patios. The opening will be on Sunday, April 2, 2006, from 4-6 PM in the Arbor Room. The exhibit will continue through May 31. Members are limited to three entries. The entry fee for the first piece is $10, and for each subsequent entry it is $5. The Anniversary Committee is hoping that ALL of our members, both new and old, will participate in this celebration by entering at least one piece. Now is the time to start working on your entry!

Spring is also the time for the Paul Freeman Awards. Please be sure to read the Back Page of this newsletter and to complete and return your enclosed nomination form. If you have any questions, please contact Pam Thomas.

Since many of us forgot to bring our 100% cotton items for printing to Rudy Gonzales at the December meeting, Rudy Gonzalez is giving us another chance. Bring your T-shirt, apron, smock, tote bag, etc., to the January meeting and Rudy will return them to you in February. Remember, due to the process used, each article must be 100% cotton. The cost is $8/piece. The actual cost of the printing is $6 and Rudy is very generously donating the $2 profit to the guild. Thanks, Rudy!

Anne Cheney of Houston has notified us that Catherine Mace passed away on November 23, after a long illness. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.    

JANUARY ACTIVITIES  

Early Bird and Program Presentation
Thursday, January 5, 2006, 6:30-9 PM

EASY ORIGAMI  FOR CARDS   
Beverly Carter and Camille Storment

During the Early Bird, we will be treated to a demonstration of how to create a folded note card holder using origami techniques. And during the Program, we will all get to try our hands at origami cards with the assistance of Beverly and Camille.

The folds we learn will include a heart for Valentine’s Day, a tulip and stem like the ones we all admired at the June Pot Luck, an inkwell like the one on this newsletter cover, an origami booklet, a frog for fun, and even more if time permits. 

Please bring a bone folder if you have one.

Mini Workshop
Thursday, January 19, 2006, 7-9 PM

The Valentine Volunteers
BJ Grant 

The goal of this mini workshop is to make Valentines to keep and to share with others, and especially to make some Valentines for the Women’s Shelter. 

Supply List:
Scissors (plain & decorative; if you don't’ have any, BJ will bring lots)
Bone folder
X-acto™ knife
Decorative papers suitable for Valentine projects, such as red, pink, white, etc. If you want to make card projects, then cardstock is also needed. If you want to do an iris fold, then you will need thinner paper cut into 4”x1” strips and then folded to ½” x 4” in four different shades of paper(6 strips each). BJ has some solids and some patterned for the iris fold, as well as some foils.
Glue stick
Decorative ribbons (small, 1/8” to 1/4” size)
Individually wrapped packages of Valentine candies (hearts, kisses, etc) and maybe some soaps, to go inside gift wrap-arounds
Miniature Kleenex packages (approx. 2”x3”)

BJ will bring: 
Rubber stamps and stamp pads (of course, you may bring your own)
Punches
Patterns for the Kleenex holder for you to decorate creatively
Patterns for the heart shape gift boxes and wraps
Patterns for the heart iris frame

January Birthdays

 01  Riad Anabtawi  
04 Lea Tupa
 11  Lynn Rutland
 12 Jennifer Phillips
 14  Marion Jacobs
 16  Maggie Gillikin
21 Dawn Marie Rae
 25  Jackie Lee
 29  Thea Moore
31 Nance Palermo

The Graceful Envelope
Click here: http://www.calligraphersguild.org/envelope.html

2006 CALL FOR ENTRIES: Calligraphers and artists from around the world are invited to participate in the 12th annual Graceful Envelope Contest, conducted by the Washington (DC) Calligraphers Guild under the sponsorship of the National Association of Letter Carriers. The contest is open to all ages, with two separate categories for children.

This year's theme is A FINE LINE. Explore the lines of communication as you design an artistic envelope around any kind of line: lines from movies, songs, books, poems and plays, fishing lines, subways lines, check-out lines, tan lines, chorus lines, foul lines, even felines. Entrants are encouraged to incorporate the theme in a creative and artistic way while using hand-executed calligraphy or fine lettering to address the envelope. Inventive relationships between the postage stamp(s) used and the envelope design are also encouraged.

In addition to promoting the art of calligraphy, the Graceful Envelope Contest celebrates the role of letters in binding people together and serves as a reminder that the people who deliver the mail are career government employees who take pride in their work and care about the communities they serve.

The contest was created in 1995 by the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum, which administered it until delegating responsibility to the Washington Calligraphers Guild in 2001. Beginning in 2003, the National Association of Letter Carriers agreed to partner with the Washington Calligraphers Guild to sponsor the contest and exhibit the winners.

The DeadLINE for entries is Friday, March 31, 2006. All envelopes must be addressed using hand-executed artistic lettering to: The Graceful Envelope Contest, Washington Calligraphers Guild, P.O. Box 3688, Merrifield, VA 22116.

Contest Rules

1. Entries must be postmarked no later than Friday, March 31, 2006. There is no entry fee. Each contestant may submit one entry (if more than one entry is submitted, only the first entry received will be judged).

2. Only the front of the envelope will be judged. Legibly print your name and complete address on the BACK of the envelope (entries will not be opened) and indicate your age group:

• Adult
• Junior (Grade 6 through Grade 12)
• Child (Kindergarten through Grade 5)

3. This year there is no size limit for entries but be aware the Postal Service requires additional postage for large, square, thick or otherwise nonmachinable envelopes. Also keep in mind that winning envelopes are exhibited in a display case of limited dimensions.

4. Entries must be delivered through the United States Postal Service and must not be enclosed in a separate envelope or in any protective covering. Postage stamp(s) must be canceled, either by hand or machine (entrants often take the envelope to their local post office to make sure it has appropriate postage and to hand cancel the stamps). See below for more on postage rates. NOTE: If you reside outside the US, use your country's postage in the denomination required for mail going to the States. Do not enclose your entry in an outer envelope or use a private delivery service.

5. Use hand-executed calligraphy or artistic lettering to address your Graceful Envelope. You may use paint, ink, pencil, rubber stamps, or other standard media for illustration or embellishment and you may affix decorative elements (such as fabric) to the envelope. Not permitted: stickers; clip art; magazines, newspapers or other commercial materials; scanned, computer-enhanced or photocopied images/calligraphy/lettering.

6. Impartial judges from the postal, calligraphic and arts communities will select the winning envelopes in April 2006. Among the criteria the judges will consider are: interpretation of the contest theme ("Lines"); effective use of color and design; artistic hand lettering (computerized type is not permitted); integration of postage into the design; and the overall creative transformation of an ordinary envelope into a work of art.

7. The Washington Calligraphers Guild will not acknowledge receipt of entries. All contestants will be notified in May 2006 as to the final status of their entry. Although no prizes will be awarded, winners will receive certificates and possible media publicity.

8. In addition to being viewable online at www.calligraphersguild.org, the winning envelopes will be exhibited at Letterforum and at National Association of Letter Carriers headquarters (100 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-662-2851) and may also be exhibited elsewhere. Non-winning entries will not be displayed. All entries become the property of the Washington Calligraphers Guild and will not be returned.

9. Entries must be addressed using hand-executed lettering and must be delivered via U.S. Mail to:
The Graceful Envelope Contest
Washington Calligraphers Guild
P.O. Box 3688
Merrifield, VA 22116

PAUL FREEMAN AWARD NOMINATIONS

The Paul Freeman awards, “ABCdarian” and the “New Spencerian” framed works, are presented each year to members voted by the membership as dedicated members who have contributed the most effort to benefit the Guild during the past year. Award winners may hang the framed works of art in their home for one year.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2006 awards. Nominations are due no later than the February SACG meeting. They will appear in the March issue of Flourishes and will be announced at the March SACG meeting. Balloting will take place at the April SACG meeting and awards will be presented at the May SACG meeting.

The nomination form is enclosed with this issue of Flourishes. Forms will also be available at the January SACG meeting. Please return your completed nomination form to:

Pam Thomas
2810 Barrel Oak
San Antonio, TX 78231


Thank you.

Pam Thomas
Vice President, Awards and Memorial Committee:
personpamelia@swbell.net 

SAVE THE DATE ~ 30th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ~ SAVE THE DATE

The SACG Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibit will be shown at Los Patios in April of 2006 in the Arbor Room. A reception is planned for Sunday, April 2, 2006, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM.

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